Carnival Calabar holds unity dry run

More than two thousand revelers converged on Calabar city in Cross River State southern Nigeria for the last round of rehearsals preparatory to the 2018 carnival on the 28th of December.
The last dry run, tagged “Unity Dry run” was flagged off by Professor Ivara Esu, the Cross River State deputy Governor, who invited candidates contesting for the seat of the President to participate in this year’s carnival.
Ivara stated: “This is the final dry run and we can see that the event looks as if the carnival itself is today; which means that we have benefitted from the first and second dry runs and everyone is eager to come and participate in the last dry run.”
“I welcome all our visitors particularly those who have kept faith with us for more years. I seize this opportunity, on behalf of the Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, to specially invite all the presidential candidates of all the political party to come for this year’s carnival,” said Ivara.
He said: “Let them take off that week and come and rest from the campaigns and enjoy themselves. Carnival Calabar does not know any party, any religion or ethnic difference. It is a uniting street party, which encourages unity among Nigerians and Africans.”
Promoting Nigeria
Also speaking, Sabo Saleh the President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria, said members were participating in the dry run to underscore and study the carnival as well as seek ways to support its growth.
Saleh described the carnival as a tourism product, which has placed Nigeria on the global map as a country to reckon with, noting: “Tourism plays an important role in the economy of any given nation. As a federation of 22 members, we will continue to support Cross River State because it has placed Nigerian tourism on the world global map.”
While urging other states to emulate Cross River, he stated: “This is the biggest tourism product that is coming out of Africa and is driven by the Cross River Government to ensure the growth of the local economy.”
Band Formation
Carnival Calabar was started 14 years ago by former Governor Donald Duke with five bands identified by different colours and competing for 10 million naira.
The five competing bands include sixth time winner Passion 4 identified by green colour; Seagull in red,Bayside adorns blue, Freedom spots yellow and Orange identifies Masta Blasta.
Other such as the Military Drum line and HIT FM bands also participate in the festival to boost relationship with the public as revelers perform for spectators lined up along the twelve kilometres carnival route.

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This year, we are introducing Africa’s leading women by recognizing 40 African women with powerful, inspiring and influential voices.

At the AWP Network, we aim to encourage more African women with powerful voices who will continue to create programs and policies that support the development and growth of African women and girls.Here’s the 2018 AWP Network Power List
. Okwui Okpokwasili (Nigeria): Winner of the 2018 MacArthur Foundation Genius Award.
An artist, performer, choreographer, and writer, Okpokwasili’s multidisciplinary performance pieces draw viewers into the interior lives of women of colour, particularly those of African and African-American women, whose stories have long been overlooked and rendered invisible.. Uzoamaka Aduba (Nigeria): Award-winning actor and one of only two actors to win an Emmy in both comedy and drama categories for the same role.

. Genevieve Nnaji (Nigeria): Award-winning actor, writer and director whose film, Lionheart, was acquired by Netflix, making it the first original Nigerian movie to be acquired by Netflix. She is also recognized as the first actor to win the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role.. Simidele Adeagbo (Nigeria): Africa’s first female skeleton athlete. She was the first African woman to compete in skeleton at the 2018 Winter Games. She is also a 2018 Obama Foundation Leader.. Bibi Bakare-Yusuf (Nigeria): is co-founder and publishing director of one of Africa’s most beloved indie presses, Cassava Republic.
Bakare-Yusuf was selected the 2018 Brittle Paper African Literary Person of the Year, the award recognizes individuals who work behind the scenes to hold up the African literary establishment.. Margaret Mary-Wilson (Nigeria): Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President at UnitedHealthcare Global.
Mary-Wilson is a 2018 ‘Women Worth Watching’ award winner and she received the ‘Mark of Excellence’ award for her work in global health transformation at the 2018 Africa Diaspora Awards.
She proudly supports African LGBTQ, a nonprofit organization established to empower and educate abused and endangered LGBTQ individuals of African descent across the globe.. Stella Williams (Nigeria): Founder of NiWard, an organization focused on transforming Nigeria’s rural agricultural sector.
NiWard provides a collaborative platform for women farmers, women scientists and women researchers to fight hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Williams is a retired Professor of Agricultural Economics at Obafemi Awolowo University in Osun State.

. Fatima Kyari Mohammed (Nigeria): Permanent Observer for the African Union.
Prior to this role, she was a Senior Special Adviser to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, where her work focused on peace and security, regional integration and organizational development.. Lola Shoneyin (Nigeria): Founder and convener of the Ake Arts and Book Festival – an annual literary, cultural and arts event, which takes place in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The festival provides new and established writers from across the world to promote, develop and celebrate their creativity on the African continent. Shoneyin is also a poet and author of The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives.. Habiba Ali (Nigeria): A pioneer in the renewable energies field. She is the founder, managing director and CEO of Sosai Renewable Energies, an innovative company that brings reliable and affordable renewable energy products to those who need it most. Her sustainable energy solutions provide communities with unforeseen economic growth, increased capacity and the potential for greater business development.. Pamela Adie (Nigeria): Executive Director of Equality Hub, an organization working to advance the rights and elevate the voices of lesbian, bisexual, and queer women in Nigeria through visual storytelling. She is also a 2018 Obama Foundation Leader.. Emma Nyra (Nigeria): Award-winning recording artist and founder of Nyra Nation. Nyra is focused on increasing the pipeline of female artists in Nigeria’s male-dominated music industry. To date, she has collaborated with other female artists to include Cynthia Morgan and Victoria Kimani.. Tomi Otudeko (Nigeria): Founder of Itanna, an intensive training program for tech-enabled Nigerian startups. Itanna focuses on developing and supporting Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. Otudeko is also Head of Innovation and Sustainability at the Honeywell Group.. Odunayo Eweniyi (Nigeria): Co-founder of Piggybank.ng, a company that securely makes saving money possible by combining discipline plus
flexibility to enable customers grow and reach their savings target. Eweniyi also founded PushCV.ng.

. Lotanna Igwe Odunze (Nigeria) is an entrepreneur, talented artist and a rape survivor. Odunze was sued by her rapist in Superior Court of the District of Columbia for defamation of character. The case was dismissed with prejudice. Odunze represents a growing number of young women in Nigeria who advocate for civil rights, justice and equality.. Juliet Kego Ume-Onyido (Nigeria): Engineer, advocate, poet and founder of Whole Woman Network. Kego supports and advocates for the rights of women and girls in Nigeria.. Honey Ogundeyi (Nigeria): Tech Entrepreneur and founder of Fashpa Online, a global marketplace to discover Fashion, Jewellery and Art from Africa and the Diaspora.. Mercy Makinde (Nigeria): Founder of the Amazing Amazon Women Empowerment Initiative, an organization fighting for the rights of marginalized groups and working to end domestic violence and sexual abuse in these communities.. Oluwatoyin Alake (Nigeria): An IFC-Milken Institute Fellow and equities product manager at the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In her role, she is responsible for products traded on the exchange with a focus to improve the depth of the Nigerian Capital Markets through the creation of investment vehicles as well as the facilitation of efficient pricing, transparency and liquidity.. Weird MC (Nigeria): Social entrepreneur and artist known for her English and Yoruba Lyrics. Weird MC has continuously spoken of how she was discriminated against by her male counterparts in Nigeria’s hip-hop industry. She continues to be a voice for women in Nigeria’s music space.. Latifat Balogun (Nigeria): Founder of Hatlab Ice Cream, a company specializing in the production and retail of traditional Italian ice cream in Nigeria. HatLab was awarded the International Gold Star for leadership and commitment to quality and the business is expanding beyond its current position in three states with an eye on the international market.. Francesca Onomarie Uriri (Nigeria): Social Entrepreneur and Founder of Leading Ladies Africa, an organization that supports the career growth and development of African women. She currently serves as the Head of Communications in West Africa for Uber.

Florence Nwapa: The Mother Of African Literature

Florence Nwanzuruahu Nkiru Nwapa was born on this day, the 13th of January in 1931 in Oguta, Imo state.
At a time when going to school at a young age was a prestigious achievement, the 22-year-old gained admission to University College, Ibadan in 1953. Upon graduation, the 26-year-old headed to Scotland to earn a diploma in education.

After her education at Edinburgh University, the 27-year-old landed a teaching job at Queens College Enugu. Her job allowed her to have time to pursue other interests and so, Nwapa wrote short stories. She sent one of her stories to Nigeria’s international literary figure, Chinua Achebe. A surprised Nwapa got positive feedback and money from Achebe to send to her publisher, Heinemann. This became her motivation.
In 1966, at 30, Nwapa’s first novel, Efuru put her on the international spotlight making her the first African woman to have her novel published in the English language in Britain.

Soon, Nwapa became known to the literary community as an author who told stories from the Igbo woman’s narrative.
After the Nigerian civil war (1967 to 1970) that led to the death of millions of Nigerians and Biafrans, she dedicated her time to helping refugees and orphans.

Florence Nwapa

By 1970, Nwapa had shifted her focus slightly and became one of Africa’s first women publishers after she founded Tana Press.
One of her objectives was,
“to inform and educate women all over the world, especially Feminists (both with capital F and small f) about the role of women in Nigeria, their economic independence, their relationship with their husbands and children, their traditional beliefs and their status in the community as a whole”.
Nwapa, a feminist in every right, was a forerunner in using her books especially her 1978 book Ogbuefi to speak up against the patriarchal society. The book got accolades from women and men alike.
She added some other novels to her catalogue: Idu (1970), Never Again (1975), One is Enough (1981), and Women are Different (1986); *collection of stories* This is Lagos (1971) and Wives at War (1980); *poems* Cassava Song and Rice Song (1986) as well as children books.
Nwapa taught at several universities including New York University, Trinity College, the University of Minnesota, the University of Michigan and the University of Ilorin.
She died of pneumonia in 1993 at 62.

Barack Obama shares sweet birthday message for Michelle

BARACK OBAMA has shared a sweet and touching message for his wife Michelle to celebrate her birthday.
Michelle, who turned 55 years old yesterday, has captured the world’s heart again with the release of her memoir Becoming, which was released at the end of last year, and her candid and empowering international book tour.
In a social media post shared across his Instagram and Twitter accounts, Obama shared a throwback picture of himself with his arm around Michelle.
He captioned the image: “I knew it way back then and I’m absolutely convinced of it today – you’re one of a kind, Michelle Obama. Happy Birthday!”
Michelle responded to the tweet sharing her appreciation for the birthday messages she received.

She wrote: “Thank you all so much for the birthday love—I love you all right back! Feeling so incredibly thankful for my South Side roots, my soul-affirming partner and daughters, and every unimaginable twist and turn over these 55 years. Can’t wait to see what becomes of the next one!”
The pair marked their 26th wedding anniversary last year.
Aside from her birthday, the former first lady has another reason to celebrate. Her book, Becoming, which has been a global hit, has topped the Amazon best seller list for 47 days, making it the book that’s held the top spot the longest since Fifty Shades of Grey back in 2012.
Becoming has sold more copies than any other book released in the United States last year.
Due to the overwhelming interest in Michelle’s book tour, she has extended it, adding extra dates including an event at the O2 in London this April.

MOSES AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

This incredibly successful soap opera tells the epic saga of Moses, from his birth to the arrival of the Hebrews to the Promised Land, including the escape from Egypt trough the Red Sea and his encounter with God on Mount Sinai.
Filmed partially on location in Israel, Egypt, and in the Atacama Desert in Chile, authenticity in film sets, scenery, costumes and historical accounts, and a deep respect for the Bible are paramount. A big production filled with amazing special effects unfolds more than a century of History.
You can watch this amazing story on mytv (Sky 191)

mytv is broadcasting in the whole United Kingdom (SKY 191 or thru ASTRA 2G 28.2º E), it’s becoming a great choice for TV viewers due to it’s diversified daily content.

Supported by a great selection of programmes, that goes from World News to Music, Inspirational, Soap Operas, Miniseries, Reality TV and Sports, mytv is relevant to a wide range of audience!

Genevieve Nnaji marks 20 years in Nollywood

Veteran Nollywood actress and film maker, Genevieve Nnaji, celebrated two decades in the film sector with a reflective New Year post.
Reports had it that Nnaji shared an appreciative message to her fans, which doubled as her New Year message. This, she did through her Twitter handle @GenevieveNnaji1.
Sharing a picture of ‘Lion Heart’s script, she wrote, “As 2018 comes to an end, I mark 20 years in the art of film making. I am grateful for my life, journey, and growth thus far.’’
“I am happy I could celebrate with you through a product that embodied all of me mentally and spiritually, for all of your pleasure. I love you guys! Happy New Year,” Nnaji said.

As 2018 comes to an end, I mark 20yrs in the art of film making. I’m grateful for my life, journey, and growth thus far. I’m happy I could celebrate with you thru a product that embodied all of me, mentally and spiritually; for all of ur pleasure. I love u guys! Happy New Year ❤️ pic.twitter.com/NXTu2ZDjTr

Awards
Nnaji, who recently premiered her directorial debut, ‘Lion Heart’, began acting at the age of 19 in 1998 with the movie, ‘Most Wanted’.
The 39-year-old won the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2005, making her the first actress to win the award.
Nnaji was one of the best paid actresses in Nollywood in 2009, and was the first actress to be awarded Best Actress at the 2001 City Peoples Awards.
She was also the first actress to bag the Best Actress award, by the Censors Board of Nigeria in 2003. In 2009, she was referred to as the Julia Roberts of Africa by Oprah Winfrey
In 2011, she was honoured with the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic award by the Federal Government for her contributions to Nollywood.
In 2015, Nnaji produced her first movie, ‘Road to Yesterday’, which won Best Movie Overall-West Africa at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA).
On Sept. 7, 2018, her directorial debut, ‘Lion Heart’, was acquired by online streaming service, Netflix; making it the first Netflix original film from Nigeria.

Ezinihitte Celebrates Oji Mbaise Festival

It was a celebration of culture at Ezinihitte Mbaise local government council, Imo state, southeast Nigeria as the people gathered to celebrate their yearly Oji Mbaise festival.

The event drew dignitaries from far and near, amongst whom was the vice presidential candidate of the peoples democratic party, peter obi.
The event was indeed a home coming for sons and daughters of Ife Ezinihitte.

The Oji Ezinihitte cultural festival is celebrated on the first day of january every year as a symbol of togetherness in the community
The vice presidential candidate of the peoples democratic party, peter obi and others spoke on the uniqueness of the culture.
The people of Ezinihitte Mbaise are known for celebrating the Kolanut festival since 1937, which they believe is the king of all cultures.

Diversity to play a large role in Marvel’s future

Marvel president Kevin Feige spoke on the future of Marvel Studios in a recent podcastFOLLOWING THE success of Black Panther, Hollywood has seen the true impact of diversity and the benefits of inclusivity in cinema – and Marvel have announced plans to double up on representation for future movies.
In a recent podcast, Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, revealed that diversity will play a big role in its’ future in front of and behind the cameras.
On Variety’s ‘Playback’ podcast, Feige said: “[Black Panther] is the beginning. That worked out as well [and] has encouraged us to head in the direction we were going to head in anyway. But you look at that film, it is incredible. That movie would not have been what it was if everyone sitting at the table looked like you or me. And that is true for all the movies.”
Black Panther smashed box office records worldwide and became the highest-rated Marvel movie, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

“As Marvel Studios has grown, it is the same thing, almost half-man and half-woman. That may become more women in the coming years based on the newest team members who continue to grow. We try to grow and promote in house,” said the Marvel boss.
Feige added that “when you have diverse voices, you get better stories and you get more exciting stories, you get more surprising stories. And that is something that is very clear.”
In March, Captain Marvel will be the first MCU’s female-led film co-directed by female director Anna Boden. The studio plans to expand and fulfil their diversity agenda, by including a Black Widow solo film set to be directed by Cate Shortland and they’re also reportedly developing a Shang-Chi film.

“Bible Of Fashion” WWD Names Jackie Aina “Influencer Of The Year”

Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) also known as “the bible of fashion” has named Nigerian American Jackie Aina, Influencer of the Year for 2018.

Jackie Aina is a beauty YouTuber told Entrepreneur that she “kept getting told at makeup counters that the trends she wanted to try wouldn’t work for her complexion”.

This inspired her to her start posting videos of make-up videos showing people how to use products and called on beauty companies to be all-inclusive.
Because of this, companies started to make products that appealed to women of colour.

Since then, she has partnered with MAC Cosmetics, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Too Faced, Sephora and Sigma Beauty and Artist Couture.
Aina revealed to Bustle in 2018 that she would create a cosmetics line by 2019.
Also in 2018, she was awarded the “YouTuber of the Year” at the 49th NAACP Image Awards.
Watch one of Aina’s tutorial below:

Video: Cynthia Erivo apologies for messing up US national anthem

The Grammy and Tony Award-winning musician said she was “nervous and tired” after performing Star Spangled Banner at a basketball game.

BRITISH-NIGERIAN actress Cynthia Erivo has apologised for forgetting the words to the US national anthem at a basketball game.
The Widows star was asked to perform Star Spangled Banner at the Nets vs. Lakers game in New York on Tuesday night, but the 31-year-old stumbled over the words as she struggled to remember the lyrics. She then stopped singing altogether to regain her composure, before starting over and singing the song again.

Erivo apologised for the mishap, telling fans she was “nervous and tired”.
She tweeted: “Some people have quiet mess ups, some people mess in front of the world. I’m human and I mess up in the same way as everyone else, so if you were watching tonight, I’m sorry, I was nervous and tired. I strive for perfection, so right now no one can beat me up more than myself.”

Some people have quiet mess ups, some people mess in front of the world. I’m human and I mess up in the same way as everyone else, so if you were watching tonight, I’m sorry, I was nervous and tired. I strive for perfection, so right now no one can beat me up more than myself. 😔

Erivo’s performance was defended online by fans, with one user writing: “You sounded brilliant! Words are words— 90% of Americans get the words wrong to that anthem. Your gorgeous voice was all I heard. Your view of failure is what everyone’s view of perfection is. Beautiful as always.”
2019 is shaping up to be a big year for Erivo, as she recently announced plans to release an album with music label Verve Record and will star in a Harriet Tubman biopic which is set to begin production next fall.

Announcements, Arts & Books

Chief Chinedu Obidigwe ( Akaoma Jide Aku) The Federal House of Representatives Candidate of APGA Anambra East and West federal constituency

Winning Tuesday with Aesthetic doctor, Ifeoma Ejikeme at the Adonia Medical Clinic. : The Young Netpreneur for the Week.

New year, new skin regime
Advice and recommendations to help make your beauty resolutions a reality.If you struggle with your skin or just fancy a shakeup of your current beauty regime, then you’ve come to the right place.